Carmen \u00c1lvarez Cuadrado and Mar\u00eda Olmedo Enr\u00edquez de Navarra<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1964, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to make an international trip. Decades later, St. John Paul II broke geographical barriers, making 104 trips around the world and visiting nearly every European country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But once the popes began traveling regularly, how did they decide which countries to visit in Europe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Benedict XVI began with Germany and went on to visit Poland, Spain, and France, traveling to 12 European nations in total. And notice the common theme: they were all traditional countries with a rich history or deep Catholic roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Pope Francis, the focus shifts from Western Europe to Eastern Europe. He traveled to the continent\u2019s periphery, and in the Caucasus, visiting Albania, Georgia, Romania, and even North Macedonia, a country a pope had never visited before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can see, it's the same territory, but with major differences...<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Leo XIV is only just beginning his travels, but we can already start to see a pattern in how he is choosing his destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Europe, many countries where Catholicism was once widespread are now seeing a decline in the number of faithful. These are the places drawing the Pope's attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ANDREA GAGLIARDUCCI This pope is turning the concept on its head: that is, we are not going to the periphery of history, but to the periphery of the faith. And right now, the periphery of the faith is France, Spain, and England, places where the faith exists but has been pushed to the margins. And that is the central issue.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It might seem that a papal visit is less necessary in these places than in others, especially in countries on the \u201cperiphery\u201d, but it's in these countries where Christians are a minority or where a pope has never previously visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Spain, the first major European country Pope Leo XIV visited, the faithful eagerly welcomed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ASHLEY NORONHA This same pattern continues with France, where the Pope will make a state visit in September. The distinction is important because, technically, Pope Francis never made an apostolic visit to France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FRANCISCO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ORIG. ITALIANO<\/p>\n\n\n\n I went to Strasbourg. I'm going to Marseilles, but not to France.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He visited France three times, but none of those trips were state visits. Instead, they were tied to specific events in 2024, including the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why the Pope\u2019s decision to visit France for his sixth trip is significant. It shows his effort to reach out to European countries undergoing change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n P. ROBERTO REGOLI It has lost the strength it once had. If we look back at the past, the French Church of the nineteenth century, as well as up until the Second Vatican Council, it produced thinkers, theologians, and philosophers who shaped the debate within the Catholic Church worldwide. In recent decades, that French Church has suffered greatly; it has no longer produced intellectuals on par with its predecessors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t a new idea. Pope Benedict XVI spoke about it too. It\u2019s not that faith has disappeared, but that the Church has shifted from the masses to smaller, more creative communities with a stronger spiritual life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ANDREA GAGLIARDUCCI And the trip to France illustrates this. It tells the story of a God who finds a way. We see it in adult baptisms; we see it in the strangely traditional movement, though not traditionalist, that is growing quite a bit. We see it in attendance at Mass and in a very deep Catholic devotion. So, I think the trip to France will be important in showing Europe that it isn\u2019t as secularized as institutions claim.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As Pope Leo continues to redefine the concept of an apostolic journey, one thing is clear: he is committed to spiritually revitalizing countries where secularization is on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, Pope Leo is also visiting countries where more than 90% of the population is Catholic, such as San Marino and Monaco. He travels with a simple message: to encourage these nations to hold onto their Catholic roots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Carmen \u00c1lvarez Cuadrado and Mar\u00eda Olmedo Enr\u00edquez de Navarra In 1964, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to make an international trip. Decades later, St. John Paul II broke geographical barriers, making 104 trips around the world and visiting nearly every European country. 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<\/strong>Vatican Expert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Vatican Expert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Ratzinger Foundation President<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Vatican Expert<\/p>\n\n\n\n